School resumption: GEJ pleads with NUT, says Govt isn't foolish

Speaking with journalists yesterday September
16th in Abuja, President Jonathan appealed
to members of the Nigerian Union of
Teachers, NUT to return to the classrooms
on Sept. 22 as there is no known case of
Ebola in the country at the moment. Below
is what he said...
"We have been able to manage Ebola and
the whole world is happy with us and we
must tell the whole world that we have
managed Ebola and no Nigerian should be
segregated because of Ebola. In fact Osun
State was to have their festival and the
news came to me to cancel it I said no,
Ebola is no longer a threat in Nigeria and
we must tell the world that we have been
able to contained Ebola."
Yes, Ebola is in the West Coast, it could
happen in Ghana, it could happen in
Senegal or any of the West African countries
or beyond but they have not closed down
their institutions. If we still have Ebola
definitely we will not open any of our
institutions but we don’t have Ebola. I dare
ask is NUT saying that until the world is
able to end Ebola is Guinea, Liberia and
Sierra Leone before Nigeria should open our
institutions? It is not right. Government is
not a fool, it is not any labour body that
asked us to take that decision, we took it
because we felt that we must protect our
citizens.
This is one government that discusses with
anybody that has issues to discuss. Even
NUT has no reason to threaten industrial
action because of Ebola, the governors took
that decision. I called all the governors of
the states to come with their
commissioners of health. On the day of that
meeting I did not even allow them to speak
because they will play politics. I asked all
the commissioners including the Secretary
of Health in Abuja, to brief us on the steps
they have taken and they listened to their
colleagues because it was also a peer
review process. If you are hiding certain
things by the time you hear your colleagues
you will go back and get things done.
We are sure that even if one mad Sawyer
comes again, nobody will contract Ebola. We
have managed Ebola very well, the world is
happy we must tell the world that no
Nigerian should be suspected of Ebola and
that is the position of government. I will
plead with NUT and other unions that this
does not require industrial action. They
should commend government, they should
work with us, they are Nigerians, all
Nigerians must work together to make sure
that we contain Ebola. Why do we want to
create problems where it is not necessary,
it is uncalled for.” He said